Kunisada: Young Woman Holding Book and Looking Down at Her Cat (Reserved)

Artist: Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1865)
Title: An Auspicious Day to Welcome a Bride（Yome-tori yoshi嫁とりよし）Date: 1844

Series: Images From Auspicious Days in the Flower Calendar (hana-goyomi kichijitsu no sugata花暦吉日姿)

A young woman looks charmed by her cat, adjusting her hairpin with her right hand and looking down at the cat with gentle amusement.  In her left arm she holds a famous educational book of women’s “morals and manners” of the time, “On’na teikin gosho bunnko” 女庭訓御所文庫. The cover shows the index, with topics such as a wise women’s role in the family, the proper attitude towards a husband, harmony with men, etc. She seems to come from a prosperous family, as she wears several layers of fashionable kimono. The design cleverly pulls our eye towards the cat at lower right, even though the feline is mostly hidden. His fur features blindprinting.

The title ‘hana-goyomi’ means a calendar with beautiful seasonal flowers and here probably refers to the good days for ladies to do various activities.

Japanese calendar days have favorable days based on traditional systems like Rokuyô 六曜, an ancient type of cyclical calendar with its origins in China.  Taian (大安) is the most auspicious day for weddings, new business, etc.. Senjitsu選日. Examples include Tenchashōbi (天赦日 - heaven's forgiveness day) or Ichiryu Manbaibi (一粒万倍日 - a single seed brings ten thousand grains). These days are chosen as auspicious days for ceremonies and beginning something new. Kichijitsu吉日 refers to these auspicious days.

At top, Mantei Ôga 万亭おう賀(1819-1890) has written his comments on welcoming a bride. He was known for his conservative opinions against enlightenment progressive movement members such as Kanagaki Robun 仮名垣魯文. At the end of the text, it says：Author作者 Mantei Ôga 万亭おう賀 plus two red seals Ô 應 and ga賀. The following ten titles are known in this series: An auspicious day for wearing a new dress着そ始めよし; for a boat trip船乗よし; for cutting nails爪とりよし;for a ceremony of coming-of-age元服よ;、for departing for a trip旅立よ;、for sowing seeds種蒔よ; for welcoming a bride嫁取りよ; for moxibustion 灸すえよし; for everything万よし; for opening the hearth(for the first tea ceremony)炉開けよし.

Condition: Excellent impression and color; very good condition. Minor hinging remnants, verso and areas of paper thinning.

Dimensions: 35 x 24.5 cm
Literature: See MFA Boston collection. The series: Schaap, Kunisada (exh. cat., 2016), checklist 1-99.

 Signature: Kunisada aratame Nidai Toyokuni ga 国貞改二代豊国画

SKU: KUS600